


Why Would I Be Jealous?

by sangshyunnie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26628601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sangshyunnie/pseuds/sangshyunnie
Summary: Written based off the prompt: "I hired you to make drinks not flirt with every customer that walks in and how dare you accuse me of jealousy, get back to work"All fluff, all the time.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	Why Would I Be Jealous?

"Okay, so you have to work with the new guy tonight. It's his first closing shift, but since you're our best closer, it'll be fine!" The assistant manager, Sara, smiled at the girl in front of her.

"Oh, you actually ended up hiring him? I mostly put his application on your desk because we just needed bodies…" Aurora rolled her eyes as she finished tying her apron behind her.

"Well, sure, it's not great, but in the interview he told me he doesn't have much real world work experience because he was living in South Korea, doing modeling or something while he was in high school and college." Sara kept her eyes on Aurora, but her face was as smooth as the espresso machine in front of her.

"Good for him. But I didn't become a shift lead to babysit spoiled rich kids while I do all the heavy lifting. If he's no good, you know you're gonna hear about it.

"Yes, I know, and that's exactly why I made you a lead and why I'm having you train him on closing. I know you'll whip him into shape without breaking a sweat." Sara looked at the clock hanging above the chalkboard across the bar from them. "I have to go though, I have an appointment. He should be here in about 20 minutes."

"Okay. Be safe!" Aurora waved her off and got about cleaning around the machines.

"And Aurora." She looked up. "Try not to scare him off."

"Whatever!" She waved Sara off again and went back to cleaning up.

It was a relatively slow spring afternoon; it was just warm enough that you could leave the house without your winter coat during the day, but as soon as the sun set, you could feel the fingers of winter that still held the world in their grasp. The sun was just beginning to set, which meant the after work crowd and night shift crew would be coming soon. Just as she was contemplating how she should split up the night's work, she heard the wind chime on the door ring, shaking her from her thoughts.

"Hello! Welcome to…" As she turned around to greet the customer, her voice caught in her throat. "I mean, welcome to The Crooked Cup! What can I get started for you this evening?"

"Hi! I'm Jaehyun, I'm supposed to work with you tonight. You're...Aurora, right?" His warm eyes held hers, before they crinkled when he smiled at her. "Sorry, you must've been shocked that I just walked in like that." She could barely think straight; Sara had told her he was a model but Aurora was not expecting him to look so friendly.

"Dimples…" Aurora found herself gazing at Jaehyun's deep dimples, not realizing she had said it out loud.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Jaehyun laughed, finally bringing her out of her stupor and making her cheeks flare a bright crimson. "Don't worry about it, your dimple is pretty cute too!" He reached across the counter and poked her right cheek. "Not as cute as mine, but still."

"Okay, rule number one, don't touch my face. Rule number two, don't try and flirt with me. I'm not here to date coworkers, especially not the new kid who thinks he's hot shit, alright?" Aurora tried to regain her composure, but she still felt a little weak in the knees and hated herself for it. She grabbed the extra apron she had prepared and handed it to him, along with a blank name tag.

"Aye, aye, cap'n! I am hot shit though, you'll see once our tips go way up. You'd be surprised what these dimples can do." He put on his apron and flashed another smile at her that made her face flush again.

"ANYWAY," she ignored him, "you can decorate your name tag however you want as long as it's appropriate. For now, just your name is fine and then make sure it's hooked on your shirt, not your apron, otherwise it'll come off." He clipped it to his t-shirt, but she helped him straighten it out. "Good, just like that."

They went about the store, Aurora showing Jaehyun the most important things he would need to know for tonight: where the mop and broom are, the supplies closet, the walk in fridge, the back room/manager's office, and finally, the coffee bar.

"The most important thing to remember is to ask questions if you don't know. Does the drink come with whipped cream but you're not sure if the customer wants it? Ask. You need almond milk but you aren't sure it's correctly dated? Ask. You're pretty sure you know how to make caramel macchiato but you want someone to check just to make sure? Ask. You can't exactly remember which order to clean the machines in? Just ask. Even if it takes more time, our customers and your coworker would rather have it done right the first time than have to come back and complain and have it done again." Aurora took her job as a shift lead seriously, and Jaehyun could tell this wasn't a time to mess around with her. He paid close attention to everything she showed him, the way she effortlessly handled customers and their orders, and did his best to stay out of her way unless she asked him to do something for her.

"So how are you feeling so far?" She asked him as they wiped down tables after a mini rush had died down. "Do you have any questions for me or anything?"

"I think I'm okay, it's just strange being around so much English. It's a culture shock." Jaehyun leaned back against a table and ran his dry hand through his hair, leaving it subtly disheveled and exposing his forehead, making her breath catch in her throat. "You're really good with the customers, too."

"I mean, Sara mentioned you spent most of your life in South Korea, so I can only imagine what it's like to be in this shithole after that. But I'm nothing special with people, I just do my job and we have a few regulars that come in and make that job a little easier. " She went to a table further away to clean it.

"I spent my life around people who faked modesty because they wanted people to compliment them, and people who were just fake anyway and not very good at their jobs. You're good at your job and you're allowed to be proud of that; I've been here like 3 hours and I can see that." Jaehyun followed her and stood across the table, waiting for her to look up. When she finally did, his eyes pored into hers so deeply that it made her look away again.

"Fine, I'm good at my job. But that's because I have to be, and it keeps the customers coming back. So the best thing you can do is learn quickly and take responsibility when you fuck up, okay? I don't like liars, but I especially don't like it when people can't own up to their own mistakes. And anyone you work with can tell you that you don't want to get on my bad side, ever."

\---

Three hours later, Aurora and Jaehyun were finally closing up the store after the last customer had left. Much to her surprise, Jaehyun picked up how the cash register worked faster than she had expected, making their night much more productive.

"Hey, I'm gonna put my playlist on while we finish closing. If you have any requests let me know!" Aurora said cheerfully, almost buzzing with excitement at the prospect of getting home on time.

The store speakers started playing a synth-pop song with an infectious melody, and Jaehyun snuck a look at Aurora, who couldn't stop grinning while she was stacking chairs and clearing tables for him to come through with the broom and mop. He felt butterflies in his stomach when he saw her smile like that; like there was nothing in the world that could be wrong despite being at work, despite having to train the new guy. Despite all of that, here she was, seemingly not a care in the world, smiling a smile that made Jaehyun feel something he hadn't felt since before he graduated high school.

"Actually," Jaehyun waited until after her song was finished, "I do have one song request."

"Hmm?" Aurora cocked her head to the side while she waited for him to answer.

"It's my favorite song. It's called I Like Me Better by Lauv, have you heard of it?"

"Oh, I might have heard it a time or two…" She rolled her eyes but smiled at him anyway as she went to add it to the playlist. He smiled back, bringing those dimples out again, and Aurora knew she was done for, but she didn't understand quite how far she would fall in one night until she heard him singing while he mopped.

"Damn, I like me better when I'm with you…" His voice was almost a whisper as he sang, but his clear baritone rang through Aurora's heart and seemed to echo off the walls as well.

"Stay awhile, stay awhile, stay here with me, lay with me…" There was a high note that he hit and he seemed to fill the entire shop with it without even trying. It was all she could do to keep from showing any kind of physical reaction to his voice. As the song finished, they both felt the tension between them rise and they each decided to ignore it.

Half an hour later, they finished and as they were walking out, Aurora tripped over the door jam, but before she could even try to catch herself, she felt an arm slip around her waist and pull her back. Jaehyun pulled her back into his chest, and kept her there for a second or two until he was sure that she was okay.

"Um, thanks. I'm kind of clumsy." Aurora's face was on fire, and she fumbled with the store key on her keyring as she struggled to regain her composure.

"It's okay, these muscles aren't just for show, you know." He smirked and flexed, showing how his t-shirt sleeve tightened around his biceps. That made her roll her eyes, but they still landed back on his arms, unable to shake how they had felt around her.

"Anyway, do you know your schedule for the rest of the week? We can check really quick before we leave."

"No, it's okay, Sara gave it to me the other day over the phone. I work tomorrow morning. Not opening but like, a couple hours later I think."

"Ah, morning rush crowd. Luckily for you, I'm opening tomorrow so hopefully you won't quit after you see what a real rush looks like here." Aurora smiled as she locked the door behind them, secretly looking forward to working with him again.

"If everyone else is anything like you, I'm sure I'll be just fine." Jaehyun winked at her. He pulled his car key out of his pocket and was about to get in when he noticed Aurora looking around the parking lot and down at her phone anxiously. "Something wrong?"

"Just my ride bailed on me. But it's fine, I'll just get an Uber or something, I guess."

"You sure? I have an empty passenger seat and I won't even ask for a tip!" His dimples came out again as he ran his free hand through his hair. Aurora chewed the inside of her lip as she thought it over. 

It's just a ride home. Nothing else.

"I mean, I guess that's fine, if you're sure. I don't live very far but I want to give you gas money or something." She fixed her bag on her shoulder.

"No, it's fine! Don't even worry about it. How about you just make sure we make it through tomorrow morning alive?" He chuckled as they settled into the car. "Here, put your address into my phone. And your number while you're at it." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye suspiciously.

"That was real slick. How many girls' numbers have you gotten like that?" Aurora murmured as she typed in her phone number and then her address.

"You'd know if I was hitting on you, first of all. Second of all, Sara told me that of all the shift leads, you're the only one who answers their phone consistently so I figured I should just get your phone number now." Jaehyun took his phone back to look at the route to her house, his fingers accidentally brushing hers, leaving a tingling behind that left them both wanting more.

The rest of the drive went by in silence, save for Jaehyun's playlist playing softly. It didn't seem to stick to one particular genre; there was a little bit of everything, from Harry Styles to Van Halen to Disney soundtracks. But one song started playing and Aurora couldn't help but giggle.

"What? Do you have a problem with Celine Dion?" Jaehyun asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Aurora just giggled again.

"No! Absolutely not! This is one of my favorite songs, and it's from my favorite movie of all time! I just didn't expect to hear it on your playlist."

"Well, turns out we agree that it's one of the best love songs ever written. It'll always have a place in any of my music." He turned up just a little louder so they could both sing along.

'Weeeeee'll staaaay, foreeeeeever this way, you are safe in my heart

And my heart will always go on and ooooooooon…' Jaehyun and Aurora belted out the last part of the song just as they pulled up to her house. Aurora turned and smiled at him, and despite it being chilly out, she emanated a warmth that Jaehyun felt through his entire body. The way he could see that this was her real smile, not her customer service smile, because it reached all the way up to her eyes, crinkling the corners and puffing her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile back at her, almost in daze.

"You're lucky you have good taste in music, otherwise we probably wouldn't get along very well." She laughed again. "Anyway, thanks for singing with me, and the ride home. I think we'll work together just fine. See you in the morning. Get home safe!" She gave him a small wave as she closed the door behind him and walked up to the front door.

"See you in the morning!" Jaehyun rolled the window down and called out to her as she opened her front door. They waved at each other one more time before he drove off. "I think I have the perfect song for right now…" He grabbed his phone at the stop sign and started playing one of his favorite Disney songs.

'All those days watching from the windows…"

\---

"Alright Jaehyun, it's the end of your first week. How are you feeling?" Aurora asked Jaehyun when he got to the shop.

"Actually, I feel pretty great! You've been the best teacher I could've asked for, and everyone is super nice, and even though it's hard work, I really enjoy it!" He slipped on his apron and looked out over the mostly empty shop. "The tips aren't too bad either."

"Our customers do usually tip pretty well, but it's definitely gone up since you started, especially from the girls you flirt with." Aurora rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. More tips during the shift is good for everyone, even if it means having to watch Jaehyun flirt with a bunch of random girls.

"Isn't that what I told you would happen on my first day?" He gave her a cocky smile, and her heart fluttered.

"Whatever, just start filling the iced tea and wiping down the counter."

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted her then started to work.

About an hour later, a group of girls that had to be about Aurora and Jaehyun's age came in, and as soon as they saw Jaehyun, they all started to giggle and pulled out phones and mirrors to check their makeup before they got to the counter to order. Aurora was the one on register, but Jaehyun was standing next to her, writing the cups and getting their drinks started, so the girls were only interested in talking to Jaehyun.

"Your total is $7.64 this afternoon. Your drink will be ready in just a few minutes!" Aurora told the last girl of the group, and seeing that she was getting ready to hand her cash, she had her hand out, but the girl went to hand it to Jaehyun, despite his hands being full. When she realized her mistake, she turned bright red and avoided all eye contact with everyone, as her friends laughed from their table behind her.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I get that a lot." Jaehyun winked at the girl, making her turn an even deeper shade of red as she handed her money to Aurora. "Good thing you're cute! Your drink will be ready in a minute."

Aurora just rolled her eyes as she turned to help Jaehyun, but he saw it.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"What was what for?" There was sarcasm dripping from her words, as much as she tried to keep her voice steady, it didn't work.

"The eye roll? And all the sarcasm? Are you okay?" He kept working on the drinks but he couldn't stop looking at her from his peripheral.

"I'm fine, it's fine. Just try to keep the flirting to a minimum around me, okay?"

They finished making the drinks and the girls took them all back to their table, where they were pretending to not listen in on the conversation going on behind the bar.

"I mean, I wasn't flirting…but okay I guess…" Jaehyun stopped cleaning for the moment to look at her. They had been working together a lot for the last week, and he could already tell when she was lying, and she was right now. He truly didn't believe he was flirting with anyone, he was just being nice to make good tips for them.

"Okay, good. You're here to work, not flirt with every person that walks up the counter." Aurora subconsciously tensed her jaw but still refused to look at him. When she said that, Jaehyun's face lit up as he figured out what was wrong.

"Oh shit, Aurora are you jealous?" He started smiling at her as he realized he was right.

"Why would I be jealous? There's nothing to be jealous of. Why should I be jealous?" She felt the heat rising in her face, threatening to betray her.

"You know your ears just turned red, right?" He laughed and leaned on the counter next to her, almost daring her to look up at him.

"Shut up! I didn't ask! I'm not jealous! Go away, I'm busy!" She moved her hair to cover her ears and tried to shove him away, but he didn't move an inch, just smiled bigger.

"Ooooh you like me?" He laughed but stayed right where he was.

"Shut up, no I don't. Go away, I already told you I'm busy! Go clean something."

"Your blush says otherwise. I can't believe you like me! I never saw this coming." He grabbed a rag and started wiping the counter but he kept looking at her.

"And what if I do? What would you do about it?" Aurora put her hands on her hips and finally made direct eye contact with Jaehyun. They both heard gasps come from the table of girls.

"I would have to show you what real flirting is, because I like you too."


End file.
